BOARD00807

• Board Meeting Date: 9/13/2005
• Description: ISF Section - Funding Limitations on USGS Streamgaging Programs in Colorado
• Board Meetings - Doc Type: Memo

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STATE OF COLORADO

Colorado Water Conservation Board
Department of Natural Resources
1313 Shennan Street, Room 721
Denver, Colorado 80203 It
Phone: [phone] P rtfJ
FAX: [phone]
www.cwcb.state.co.w

Bill Owens
Governor

September 14, 2005

Russell George
Executive Director

The Honorable Gale A. Norton
Secretary of Interior
U.S. Department of Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240

The Honorable Wayne Allard
United States Senate
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0605

Rod Kuharid1
CWCB Director

Rick Brown
Acting Deputy Director

The Honorable Ken Salazar
United States Senate
702 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-0606

Dear Secretary Norton and Senators Allard and Salazar:

In recent years, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has received reduced federal funding in
inflation-adjusted dollars for its streamgaging programs within Colorado, resulting in increased
costs to cooperators and the elimination of many valuable gages. This is a dangerous trend with
serious implications on the public's safety and welfare as this gaging network provides
invaluable information for water planning, administration, forecasting and emergency flood
warning. It is essential that a state of the art, Federal streamgaging network be maintained
within Colorado.

As the state's water planning agency, the Colorado Water Conservation Board (CWCB) relies
upon gages operated by the U.s. Geological Survey (USGS) to meet the needs of its mission
critical programs including Interstate Compact Protection, Decision Support System
Development, Floodplain Management and Stream and Lake Protection. Streamflow data
provided by the USGS is also critical for the assessment of the CWCB's ongoing Statewide
Water Supply Initiative (SWSI), which is investigating existing and future water needs within the
state. As a headwaters state with a growing population, competing needs for water will increase
with direct implications on Colorado's economic future. Adequate funding of the USGS
Cooperative Water Progrsm (CWP) and the National Streamflow Information Program (NSIP) is
critical to the mission of the CWCB to plan for and address the protection and development of
Colorado's water resources.

In 2006, the President's request of $63,770,000 for the CWP and $14,080,000 for the NSIP was
again insufficient to maintain the capability of these programs in Colorado. For the past 5 years,
funding levels for the programs have remained essentially the sanoe, yet mandatory federal pay
raises combined with other inflationary pressures have continually eroded the programs'

Flood Prorection . Warn Supply Planning and Finana: . Stream and Lake Prorection
Warn Supply Prorection . Conservation and Drought Planning